Quick release locking type hook



' July 6, 1965 w. s. GUERRANT, JR 3,193,313

QUICK RELEASE LOCKING TYPE HOOK Filed March 12, 1963 INVEN TOR. GUEQQ AMIJQ VVILLIAM 5 all ATTOEJOEY United States Patent 3,193,318 QUICK RELEASE LOCKING TYPE HOOK William S. Guerrant, Jr., 1320 Wayne Drive, Annaudale, Va. Filed Mar. 12, 1963, Ser. No. 264,727 '4 Claims. (Cl. 294-83) (Granted under Title 35, US. Code (1952), see. 266) The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty there- This invention relates to improvement in hooks, and more particularly to improvements in locking type mooring hooks.

A quick release mooring hook is used for offshore mooring of ships. The hook is attached to a buoy which in turn is connected to an embedded anchor by a heavy chain. These mooring systems are especially adapted but not limited to the ofishore mooring of tankers while they are being loaded or unloaded. Nearly all large harbors have limited facilities for docking ships, and the in port period is considerably longer than the actual time taken for unloading and loading at the docks. Accordingly, large areas are reserved as anchorages in relatively sheltered waters wherein mooring buoys are provided to allow ships to await their turn at the (locks for loading or unloading, or, as in the case of tankers, to load or unload at the mooring facility.

' of the ship. The mooring buoy is relatively stationary and the problem of location of the ship within the anchorage to avoid collision with other anchored ships due to changing currents and winds is largely avoided by the use of the buoy. Also wear and tear on the ships equipment i.e. anchor chain and anchor Windlass, is avoided.

On the other hand the use of mooring buoys has certain disadvantages with which the instant invention is primarily concerned. Mooring buoys at present are equipped with books which either have a manually operated bar and pin type locking device, or which have no locking device. With respect to those hooks having a bar and pin type locking device, it is, of course, necessary for a man to physically board the buoy in order to lock the hawser or cable. It is also necessary for a man to physically board the buoy to disconnect the locking 0 device in order that the hawser or cable can be released. Those buoys having no locking devices require a man to be physically aboard the buoy during rough weather and during times when there is a change in current or wind causing slack in the mooring hawser or cable.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a mooring hook to which the mooring hawser or cable can be more readily and conveniently attached.

A second object of this invention is to provide a mooring hook having a locking device which will eliminate the necessity for a man to remain abroad the mooring buoy during rough weather and during other times when there is or might be a slack in the mooring hawser or cable.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide in a quick release locking type hook a locking de vice which releases automatically When the hawser or cable is released thereby eliminating the necessity for a man to board the mooring buoy to disconnect the locking device.

Briefly this hook comprises a substantially J shaped base member with a substantially U-shaped release insert ice pivotally connected to the base member near the curved end of the base member. At the outer end of the release insert is a pivotally attached keeper which, when the hook is in a closed position, engages a lug which is mounted on the base member. Rigidly affixed to the release insert and curving away from the straight portion of the I-shaped base member is a lanyard release arm. At the end of the lanyard release arm is an eyelet to which is attached a lanyard, the end of which is often kept for control purposes on the vessel itself. When the hook is closed, the mooring cable or hawser may be engaged therein, the pivotally mounted keeper opening to allow the entrance of the mooring cable or hawser into the hook. When a pulling force is exerted upon the lanyard the release insert pivots away from its position of rest Within the base member and the keeper disengages the base member mounted lug, after which the release insert rotates approximately allowing the mooring cable or hawser to slip or slide out of the hook without obstruction by the then freely rotating keeper.

Other characteristics and advantages will become evident from the detailed description of the preferred embodiment wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view; and

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal view of the preferred embodimerit.

Referring in detail to FIGS. 1 and 2, release insert 10 is pivotally mounted by release insert pivot pin 2 on base member 3. Release insert 10 has, rigidly afiixed thereto and extending outwardly from the straight portion of base member 3, lanyard release arm 1 at the end of which is an aperture for the attachment of lanyard 8. At the opposite end of release insert it) from the lanyard release arm 1 is keeper pivot pin 6 by which keeper 4 is attached. When the release insert is in position engaging base member 3, the closed position of the hook, keeper 4 engages base member mounted locking lug 5 which protrudes, through slot 16 in the release insert, outwardly from the substantially straight portion of base member 3 towards pivot pin 6. Rotation of keeper 4 in the counterclockwise direction (FIG. 2) is limited to stop 15, an integral part of release insert 10. FIG. 2 shows mooring cable 7 engaged with the hook in the locked position. At the free end of the straight portion of base member 3 is the attaching means for securing the hook to the mooring buoy. Any suitable attaching means will sufiice. However, in the preferred embodiment, it comprises clevis 11 mounting buoy connecting pin 9 to the base member 3 by pin 12.

For proper operation, the mooring hook is secured to the buoy in such a way that when the hook is in the closed position the force of gravity holds the release insert against the base member 3. The mooring hook of this invention is horizontally mounted on a buoy. That is, the substantially straight portion of base member 3, as indicated in FIGURE 2, is mounted on the horizontal top surface of the buoy. The hook section of the insert 10 and the release arm 1 are vertically disposed above the straight portion of base member 3 and the buoy. Clevis 11 is mounted on the buoy such that the surface thereof, indicated by the numeral 11 in FIGURE 1, is secured to the buoy. When the ship approaches the buoy, it may lower its mooring cable 7 down to the hook and, if keeper 4 is in the open position, the bight of the mooring cable may be inserted into the hook. If the keeper is in the locked position, inside lug 5, it may be released by opening the hook sufliciently for the keeper 4 to clear lug 5 and then rotating the keeper 4 clockwise to the full open position. After insertion of the mooring bight the keeper may be locked by swinging is to the closed position with the release insert in a par- Water.

tially open position as shown at FIG. 1. Swinging of the keeper can be accomplished with a boathook or a,

small line. Lanyard 8 is used to open the release insert and may be permanently afiixed to lanyard release arm 1, in which case the end may be attached to a small float thus facilitating recovery of the lanyard by'means of a small grapple from the bow of'the ship. If there is no release the mooring cable, it is necessary only to exert and allow the mooring cable to slip out of the hook. If a permanent lanyard is being used, the end thereof, attached to a small float may then be dropped into the Stop prevents keeper 4 from closing so, far as to allow cable 7 to escape when the hook is closed. Other variations may, of course, be resorted to without departing from the scope of this invention. I

I claim: v i r 1. A quick release locking sea vessel mooring hook for securing a mooring cable of a sea vessel to a mooring buoy comprising:

said connecting means securing said distal end to the I buoy and disposing said curved portion vertically with respect to said basemember, a substantially U-shaped release insert pivotally connected near one end to the distal end of the curved In order to a pulling force on lanyard 8 which rotates'the release .insert approximately 180, clearing keeper 4 of lug 5,

portion of said base mmber so as to turn in the sarne plane as the base member, I a lanyard release arm rigidly aflixed to and extending inwardly of the hook from the other end of said said insert being held against said base member byforce of gravity, 7

and a locking lug mounted on the inner side of the substantially straight portion of said base member and so positioned as to engage said keeper as the release insert approaches the substantially straight portion of said base member and to release said keeper as said insert is rotated away from the substantially straight portion of said base member.

2. The quick release locking type hook described claim 1, wherein V said connecting means at the end of the substantially straight portion of said base member comprises a clevis,

a pin pivotally connecting said clevis to said' base member, and a removable pin for semipermanent attachment of the hook to its holding means,

3. The-quick release locking" type hook describedin claim 1, wherein said release insert, insofar as it engages said base member when the hook is in the closed position, is channel-shaped to snugly engage 'the inner portion of said base member, 7

said channel-shaped release insert being slotted to provide for the protrusion of said locking leg therethrough.

4. A quick release locking type sea vessel mooring hook for securing a mooring cable of a sea vessel to a mooring buoy comprising:

a substantially J-shaped hook means having a substantially straight portion with aiirst and a second end and an arcuate portion with a third and a fourth end,

said second and third ends being constructed integrally,

means securing said first end to a buoy and disposing said fourth end vertically with'respect to said first, secondand third ends,

first pivot means on said fourth end,

a substantially U-shaped' release insert conforming in shape to be substantially contiguous with'the inner curvaturerof said arcuate portion having a fifth and a sixth. end,

said insert pivotally mounted near said fifth end by said first pivot means on said fourth end, 7

said insert being held against said hook me'ans by force of gravity, 7 a release arm rigidly affixed to said'sixth end,

keeping means connected to said straight portion in the vicinity of said second and third ends extending towards said fifth end, aperture means in said insert for permitting said keeping means to extend therethrough, second pivot means, i V

and a keeper pivotally mounted by said second pivot means on said fifth end, 7 said keeper being dimensioned to reach the vicinity'of said sixth end and to becaptured by said keeping means when said insert is in contact with said arcuate portion and to be free of said ke eping means 'when' said insert is pivoted'away from said arcuate portion, the distance between said first and said second pivot means and the distance said keep-ing means extends towards said fifth end being-such as to enable the keeping means to capture and free the keeper,

' References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 864,701 8/07 Shawver 24-242 906,226 12/08 Haviside 29483 2,429,769 10 /47 Petouhoti 294-83 2,928,692 3/60 'Gowa'n 29482 6/ 62 Seager 294-83 ROBERT B. REEVES, Priiimry Examiner. ANDRES H. NEILSEN, SAMUEL F. COLEMAN,

Exar niners. 

1. A QUICK RELEASE LOCKING SEA VESSEL MOORING HOOK FOR SECURING A MOORING CABLE OF A SEA VESSEL TO A MOORING BUOY COMPRISING: A SUBSTANTIALLY J-SHAPED BASE MEMBER HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT PORTION AND A SUBSTANTIALLY CURVED PORTION, CONNECTING MEANS AT THE DISTAL END OF THE SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT PORTION OF SAID BASE MEMBER, SAID CONNECTING MEANS SECURING SAID DISTAL END TO THE BUOY AND DISPOSING SAID CURVED PORTION VERTICALLY WITH RESPECT TO SAID BASE MEMBER, A SUBSTANTIALLY U-SHAPED RELEASE INSERT PIVOTALLY CONNECTED NEAR ONE END TO THE DISTAL END OF THE CURVED PORTION OF SAID BASE MEMBER SO AS TO TURN IN THE SAME PLANE AS THE BASE MEMBER, A LANYARD RELEASE ARM RIGIDLY AFFIXED TO AND EXTENDING INWARDLY OF THE HOOK FROM THE OTHER END OF SAID INSERT, A KEEPER PIVOTALLY MOUNTED AT THE FREE END OF SAID ONE END OF SAID RELEASE INSERT DISTALLY OF SAID PIVOTAL CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID RELEASE INSERT AND SAID BASE MEMBER SO AS TO TURN IN THE SAME PLANE AS SAID RELEASE INSERT, SAID INSERT BEING HELD AGAINST SAID BASE MEMBER BY FORCE OF GRAVITY, AND A LOCKING LUG MOUNTED ON THE INNER SIDE OF THE SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT PORTION OF SAID BASE MEMBER AND SO POSITIONED AS TO ENGAGE SAID KEEPER AS THE RELEASE INSERT APPROACHES THE SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT PORTION OF SAID BASE MEMBER AND TO RELEASE SAID KEEPER AS SAID INSERT IS ROTATED AWAY FROM THE SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT PORTION OF SAID BASE MEMBER. 